ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. game — wild animals
  7. club — for golf
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. club — for dancing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — music
  15. net — for catching
  16. march — the month
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — a match
  23. net — after costs
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com